Content Marketing

If my last post “3 Ways to Add Video to your Content Marketing Mix” did its job, you’ve already decided that your organisation must start using video to engage your audiences. It helps generate new leads and nurture the ones you have; and it’s measurable, so you know whether your video content is working.

But how do you get started? I’ve seen businesses large and small stall their efforts before they even got off the ground simply because they didn’t know what the first step should be in building a video marketing strategy.

Let’s remove the guesswork from the equation and take a look at what you should consider as you embark on this important and fruitful journey. The rewards are so worth the investment that you don’t want to let uncertainty get in the way.

1. Product. What stories do you want to tell (not sell)?
For most organisations, there’s no shortage of potential video content. Think about your audience and what you want them to know about you.

If there’s only one rule to stick by – stay away from sounding too sales-y. If consumers feel they are watching a sales pitch, they will probably leave immediately.

A good first video is an explainer about what your company does and who you are. Then you’ll want to create videos for every step of the marketing funnel. It’s said that buyers do more than half their product research independent of vendors, so you’ll want to provide videos for every step of that journey.

Interviews with thought leaders and customers can inspire audiences and quickly build trust in not only what you do but also why you do it. And as buyers engage directly with your sales team, personalised videos can help bring the human element back into the digital selling process.

2. Price. Everyone worries about budget.
Every organisation is trying to do more with less. However, you don’t have to spend tens of thousands to hire a dedicated video team.

Ideally, you’ll produce enough content for different stages of the customer journey and release a new video every couple of weeks. That may sound excessive, but you can dedicate the right resources without breaking the bank.

If you can only invest in one dedicated hire, a videographer is a good place to start. A strong videographer can shoot and edit all of your footage and produce at least one short video per week from about $1,200.

Quality is important, but so is authenticity. Your viewers will be more impressed by your smart, funny and helpful videos than whether the lighting is just right.

3. Place. Where people can view your content?
First and foremost identify the key platforms for your video distribution plan. The best strategy is to use multiple channels: your website, YouTube, Facebook, and e-newsletters to reach targeted audiences. And always explore new channels for your video marketing efforts.

YouTube is great because it performs well in Google search results. Plus, it’s free. But you sacrifice control. YouTube could refer your viewer to unrelated or, worse, competitive content. Make your phrases are specific; you want to use your keywords in your title, tags and descriptions.

Example of key-wording for our client Corcorz.

Facebook’s biggest strength is their community. They know the ins and outs their community, and work on ‘interest choice’, which means Facebook targets interest-based content to the community. Create video content that is tailored to fit your dedicated fan base and give them something to look forward to and respond to, rather than video content that is meant for a general audience.

4. Promotion. Make the first and last 10seconds count.
Did you know that 20% of your viewers will close your video after 10 seconds or less? Your video needs to be brief and too the point. Use your headline and video description to inform viewers what to expect.

And if your viewer to the finish line, reward them with a call-to-action. This can be visiting your site, signing up for a newsletter, leaving a comment, or offering to take up a special promotion. If you have their attention, now is the time to take advantage of it.
As mentioned in my previous post, with interactive video, you do not have to wait to the end of the video to engage with your audience.

5. People. Not just Products.
Product explanations are important, but they don’t always make the most compelling stories. Interview members of the C-suite to put a human face on the company.

Involve customers by featuring their success stories. Let your partners talk about their businesses and why they work with you.

6. Process. Keep Videos Short.
As any filmmaker can tell you, editing is one of the toughest steps. All that content you shot is great. Everything your company does is amazing. You couldn’t possibly do it justice in one minute.

Unfortunately, viewers have short attention spans so you have to keep it short, especially in the beginning. As you build your video library and measure viewership, you’ll start to see where there is demand for longer in-depth videos.

7. Performance. Prioritise Measurements & Analytics.
Measuring performance is the only way to know whether your videos are successful. Don’t settle for vanity metrics such as the number of views. That won’t lead to more leads and deals.

Collect data on how your videos are watched and how viewers engage with them. Check the duration of views, repeat views and drop-off rates. That data helps you know whether your videos are working.

Want to chat about how AM Multimedia can help you with your video marketing strategy? Great! Contact ann@annmegalla.com

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Did you know the average daily video views on Facebook alone are now 8 billion?(source).
That’s a staggering number of eyeballs glued to the visual content, and this has a major impact on video content marketing, social media, and online behaviour. At AM Multimedia, we take a closer look at 2016 video trends and share some useful tips on how we integrate video into our client’s marketing mix.

2016 is well an truly the year of video as marketers leverage small screens to reach consumers as video has become a powerful tool for brands looking to communicate more easily to their customers. In fact 52% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content wit the best ROI and by next year 74% of all internet traffic will be video (source).

You do not have to be a large company to use video. Small businesses can increase lead generation, improve customer engagement, and build greater brand awareness to the right customers, in the right context, with the right content.

Video Micro-Moments Encourage Engagements on Social Media

Video micro-moments are what users are looking for to answer basic questions about products, services, processes, or events. Adding video into a social media marketing plan can transform the way your customers, and potential customers, understand your product.

64% of consumers are more likely to buy a product after watching a video about it (source). Video micro-moments is an easy and affordable way to define your brand’s purpose, give your users content to answer their product questions, and help your potential customers find your product through the purchase journey.

Video to Boost Email Open Rates

While email is still one of the top marketing resources for businesses, it can be hard to make your messages stand out, let alone get click-thru once someone has opened your email. However, using video, marketers can increase open rates and get in contact with the right people with the following strategy:

Using the word “video” in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19%, click-through rates by 65% and reduces unsubscribes by 26% (source).

Make sure videos aren’t too long. Decision-makers have limited time and you’re lucky if you’ve managed to convince them to open your email in the first place.

Interactive Video to drive sales

Shoppers who view video are 1.81X more likely to purchase than non-viewers(source). So why not harness the opportunity to make a sale from the video itself?

The difference between interactive video with versus a passive video is the ability to connect with real people at any point in the video’s timeline with touchable screens.

Most interactive videos start with YouTube, but businesses are starting to realise that YouTube will not be enough to capture the need for interactivity within videos. Businesses will have to move their videos to the private sector for a complete interactive video solution. To know more just ask ann@annmegalla.com

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